Trump DOJ to deploy largest-ever fleet of monitors for midterms as president calls elections ‘rigged’

Trump DOJ to deploy largest-ever fleet of monitors for midterms as president calls elections ‘rigged’ The president has repeatedly claimed elections are ‘rigged’ against Republican candidates — except for those they win, in most cases - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments The Department of Justice is planning to deploy the largest number of election monitors to survey the upcoming midterms — a major push as President Donald Trump promotes false claims of election fraud in the United States. Officials are aiming to send 1,000 DOJ monitors across the country for the midterm elections on Nov. 3, Harmeet Dhillon, the top official in the department’s Civil Rights Division, told Bloomberg Monday. Dhillon did not specify where the monitors would be sent, but indicated officials were focusing on places with language barriers, disability accessibility issues or “voter fraud issues.” The Justice Department typically sends monitors to polling locations across the country during elections, to ensure laws are being followed and address any issues that may arise. But the dramatic increase in the number of them potentially being dispatched comes as Trump has expressed interest in asserting more control over federal elections — and potentially challenging the results of races that don’t go his party’s way. “We hope to have the largest monitoring effort in the Department’s history,” DOJ Deputy Press Secretary Kiersten Pels confirmed in a statement to The Independent. Pels said if successful, 1,000 monitors would mark the most election monitors ever deployed by the Justice Department. But the details about where the monitors would go, and how many, are unclear. In the past, the Justice Department has focused on the number of jurisdictions, rather than election monitor personnel. Under the Biden administration, the department dispatched monitors to 86 jurisdictions for the 2024 election and 64 jurisdictions in the 2022 midterm, according to the Washington Post. Already, the Justice Department has sent monitors to observe primary elections in states such as Arizona, Minnesota and Michigan. But some Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern about the Trump administration using election monitors to push the president’s election surveillance agenda. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced a new effort to recruit and train Senate staff to serve as congressional observers to document attempted voter interference or threats against election workers. Trump has repeatedly insisted, without evidence, that U.S. elections have a history of being “rigged” and exaggerated claims of election vulnerabilities. Last month, he sought to elevate his claims in a primetime address from the White House, though critics largely dismissed his speech as an extension of his previous debunked assertions. Beyond that, the Trump administration has actively taken steps to amass more power over elections by targeting elements of voting the president is displeased with. Trump’s effort to restrict mail-in-ballot voting has been halted by federal courts; the administration is hoping the Supreme Court will intervene in the president’s favor. Congress has been apprehensive to support the SAVE America Act, a sweeping piece of legislation which would implement federal voter ID laws. Deploying 1,000 election monitors is a large undertaking, especially because the Justice Department has seen a large exodus of attorneys leave the department over the last year. A DOJ spokesperson told CBS News that the department plans to recruit federal employees to serve as volunteers. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments [Image text:] VOTE VOTE VOTE